EC - Scene Tree Options

The scene tree shows four columns: “Export”, “Name/Prefix”, “Option” and “Path”.

“Export” contains a graphical representation of the scene tree and contains all object groups. This section is dynamically adjusted to the scene’s contents. The individual branches can be expanded or collapsed to access the different export options. These parts will be explained in detail directly below. When you have globally activated an export resource, but have not selected which file type RealFlow should write to disk, a warning sign will appear next to the global resource and you will receive the message:

"WARNING: “Node name” data export is enabled but none of its resources are checked on Export Central."

Under “Name/Prefix” you can easily change a node’s standard export name, for example if you have to make several versions of a simulation. By default, RealFlow automatically assigns a name to each node, e.g. "Cube01" or "RealWave01" and writes them to the “Name/Prefix” sections. Just alter the name and it will be saved under this new label. To edit the file name that is written by "Export Central", simply click on the desired name to highlight it. Next click once on the displayed name under “Name/Prefix” and the input field becomes editable. Now you can choose any name. This name will be used as a prefix for the saved data file.

An example:

Let’s assume you have a scene with lots of emitters and you want to rename some of them for better differentiation. A standard name for a circle emitter, for example, would be "Circle01". The settings you have made under

Preferences > Export

tell RealFlow that a certain pattern will be applied to the file name. By default this pattern is “name#.ext” with a 5 digit file padding. “name” is the displayed name form "Export Central’s" “Name/Prefix” and “#” symbolizes the current frame. A typical file name at frame 100 would then be:

Circle0100100.bin

By changing the name under "Export Central" to “Circle_RES20_” the file at frame 100 is stored as

Circle_RES20_00100.bin

while the entry under "Nodes" remains the same. This change only affects the saved particle files! It is important to rename files carefully, because a random naming could easily lead to errors and confusion. Imagine a rigid body dynamics scene with hundreds of objects and totally unsorted names. After a few days you will not be able to reproduce the connections between the nodes and the saved simulation files. If you decide to use "Export Central’s" renaming options, never apply special characters, such as §, $, % or &! 

Now let’s go on with the explanation of the node tree’s columns:

“Option” must be double-clicked to make the different selections available. It is mostly used for choosing alternative image formats. With particle sources you can also determine the quality level for proxy files. To show the options, double-click on the entry, too.

“Path” lets you determine the location where a data sequence will be stored. By default, RealFlow provides a series of folders where all files are written to. In some cases it might become necessary to create more folders to store different versions, for example. You can see the following notation:

($SCENEDIR)

$SCENEDIR consists of two parts. The first part is taken from the "Preferences" panel and specifies the default path to your scene repository. The second segment represents the project’s name. You have, for example, defined a custom location for all scenes under:

Preferences > General > Scenes Folder: D:\RF5_Scenes\MyProjects

Now you create a new project that is called “FirstTest”. RealFlow automatically adds the standard set of folders under this path:

D:/RF5_Scenes/MyProjects/FirstTest

This path exactly represents the $SCENEDIR variable. For standard particles, the complete path would be:

D:/RF5_Scenes/MyProjects/FirstTest/particles

or, as an abbreviation under "Export Central's" "Path" column: 

$(SCENEDIR)/particles

After the simulation has finished, you will find all mesh files under this location. "Export Central" gives you the possibility to change this path to your special needs. Simply highlight the desired node under "Export Central" and single click on the path to make it editable. You can even replace the $SCENEDIR variable with a complete path, e.g.

D:/Research/ScriptedEmitter/Foam/01/particles

This change can be performed individually for each item in the scene! So be careful to keep control over your settings, folders and files. It is also important to follow the special operating system dependent rules for creating directories.

This workflow is also available for IDOCs and very convenient, especially when a node belongs to more than one IDOC. The variable in this case is called $IDOC (instead of $SCENEDIR).